As powerful as our legs are, as magnificent as our lungs and arms and muscles are, nothing matters more than the mind.

You could carry your burdens lightly or with great effort. You could worry about tomorrow or not. You could imagine horrible fates or garland-filled tomorrows. None of it mattered as long as you moved, as long as you did something. Asking why was fine, but it wasn't action. Nothing brought the rewards of moving, of running. Sometimes you just do things.

Overcoming the difficulties of an ultramarathon reminds me that I can overcome the difficulties of life

What we eat is a matter of life and death.

The point was living with grace, decency, and attention to the world, and breaking free of the artificial constructs in your own life.

But the longer and further I ran, the more I realized that what I was often chasing was a state of mind- a place where worries that seemed monumental melted away, where the beauty and timelessness of the universe, of the present moment, came into sharp focus.

Injuries are our best teachers.